Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
